Going into this season, you didn't have to tell many Pittsburgh Steelers fans what there was to like about rookie running back Kaleb Johnson. His tape out of Iowa was plenty for Steelers fans to get on board with a guy who looked like he'd fit perfectly in Pittsburgh.
Yet, his career with the Steelers might take a bit to get on track. Jaylen Warren's recent extension proved the Steelers' faith in him, and Kenneth Gainwell was signed this past offseason to be the team's presumed backup.
In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, the Steelers had just gone down by three after a field goal by Jason Myers. Seattle kicked off to none other than the rookie out of Iowa, and Johnson muffed the kickoff.
The football went behind Johnson and into the end zone, but instead of running back to recover it, Johnson sat and watched Seahawks running back George Holani pick it up in the end zone for a touchdown.
Kaleb Johnson did himself no favors in just his second career game with the Pittsburgh Steelers
That mishap by Johnson allowed the Seahawks to go up by 10 in a matter of seconds, and Seattle didn't look back. Of course, the game ended 31-17 with Pittsburgh losing.
It's been just two games, but these games have gone about as poorly as you could've asked if you are Johnson. Against the Jets in Week 1, Johnson received one touch -- a carry -- that went for a loss of two yards.
In this one, Johnson again had one touch on offense, which was a single carry that went for a single yard. He was not targeted at all in Weeks 1 or 2.
To make matters worse for Johnson's case, Warren looks good and has been worthevery penny of his extension. He had 18 touches for 134 total yards against the Seahawks. Even Gainwell had eight touches.
The fact that Johnson has two touches in just as many games, to go along with the muffed kickoff fiasco, does not bode well for his immediate future. Between Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers, it's hard to earn trust back after it's lost, and, in Johnson's case, there doesn't appear to be a lot there at the moment.